Question
Which of the following trophic levels would have the lowest amount of available energy?
A. Producers C. Secondary (2nd level) consumers
B. Primary (1st level) consumers D. Tertiary (3rd Level) Consumers
A. Producers C. Secondary (2nd level) consumers
B. Primary (1st level) consumers D. Tertiary (3rd Level) Consumers
Answers
GPT-4o mini
D. Tertiary (3rd Level) Consumers would have the lowest amount of available energy.
In an ecological pyramid of energy, energy decreases as you move up trophic levels due to the loss of energy at each step in the food chain, typically around 90% of energy is lost at each trophic level as heat, metabolism, and waste. Thus, tertiary consumers, being at the top of the food chain, receive the least amount of energy compared to producers and primary and secondary consumers.
In an ecological pyramid of energy, energy decreases as you move up trophic levels due to the loss of energy at each step in the food chain, typically around 90% of energy is lost at each trophic level as heat, metabolism, and waste. Thus, tertiary consumers, being at the top of the food chain, receive the least amount of energy compared to producers and primary and secondary consumers.
How is the level of entropy in the universe impacted as energy moves through a food chain?